The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1887-11-24

" blending" where wines are mixed, a
most delicate and important operation.
Objectionable additions are plaster
before fermentation, to strengthen
the wine and salicylic acid afterwards
to preserve the wine from souring-
alum in clarifying and copperas and
others of lesser moment. Fraudulent
authorizations of wine cen to be as
old as wine itself. In the days Of the
Romans we read Of aging processes,
personalities, plastering, sc.
AS to the fermentation which
changes the grape juice, or must, into
wine, a chemist finds much to study
in such a process and the studies of
chemists have been of immense SER
vice to wine-makers and beer-brewers
in this most important part of their
business.
The fermentation is caused by germs
in the air. These find in the juice
just the conditions suited for their life
and propagation, provided the juice is
kept at the right temperature. A tub
of juice is exposed to the air. These
germs alight in it. In a few hours
they begin to multiply and to live
upon the sweet liquid. By these life
processes the sugar is changed to
alcohol and the tub foams with the
carbonic acid given off,, Now there
are many kinds Of these germs in the
atmosphere, and others are hanging
over that fermenting tub waiting I'M
til the foam subsidies or the tempera-
ture rises high enough for them to set
to work also. The wine-maker must
understand well the needs and habits
of these small fry. He must distin-
guish friend from foe-offer his hos
pitality to the one and skillfully fend
off the other. During the ~fermenting
season | am told that the French wine
men spend a sleepless, anxious time
and even with the greatest precautions
some times a large part of an entire
vintage is lost.
I thought at one time of enumerat-
ing the services which chemists have
rendered to the wine industry, intend
ing it as an offset to the harm which
you may think they have wrought in
making the way clear for artificial
wine-making. The limits of our time
however, forbid We must pass by
Chaptal, Schutzenberger and others,
but at least can mention Pasteur,
whose work has saved millions of dol
lars to France. The pasteurizing of
wine is but one of many of his sug-
gestions, yet that alone was enough to
immortalize any man. This pasteuriz-
ing is the basis of u great canning
industry. So great has been the
benefit derived from scientific research
and experiment in wine-making that
several nations have established viticul-
tural stations where, under trained
hands, experiments are being constant
ly carried on as to the best wine grape
for that section, it's needs in the way
of soil, fertilizer and cultivation the
best modes of fermentation whether in
Perret's frames or open watts, with
foulage or without, the most suitable
temperature, &C., &c. In fact, they
seek to find the best solutions to the
many problems and questions which
rise to puzzle the maker of wine. In
this country only one such station
exists, so far as | am aware, and that
is in California.
It may be asked why a special sta
ton need be established for such work,
why not perform these experiments in
the wineries. The reasons are not far
to seek. In the large wineries every
thing is done for profit, andfew manu-
facturers can afford to expend time,
labor and money on costly expert
ments. Again in a large winery it is
very difficult to have an experiment
cut off from the regular work and to
prevent ignorant workmen from in
terfering with it.
The aim of the California station is
to experiment with Soils grapes, wines
and blends so as to insure a uniform
product from the vineyards and build
up a lasting reputation for the Cali
fornia wines and they have done much
already to secure these ends though
working only six years. Up to the
establishment Of the station in 1881,
each maker in the State exercised his
own judgment, followed no rules,
consulted nc ones taste, and hence the
product was an exceedingly varying
one; could not be relied on and failed
to meet with ready sale. These are
just the reproaches that I have heard